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“C’mon, it’s notthatlong.”
Vanessa shakes her head and chuckles. “My years wouldn’t agree.”
“Bullshit,” I say without missing a beat. “You finished high school how long ago? Six, seven years?”
“Try twelve.” She turns to me, her eyes staring into mine for a few heartbeats. “I’ll be thirty in a few weeks.”
Thirty?
Damn. I know she mentioned the age difference, but I never gave it much thought because it didn’t matter to me. It still doesn’t. It was never a matter of age to me. I like her for the funny, generous, and kind person she is.
“You still sure you want to do this?”
I look down at her, those pretty brown eyes observing me warily. She seriously thinks I’ll back out just because of a silly thing like that? “I don’t care if you’re thirty, forty, or sixty for that matter, Ness.”
A frown appears between her brows. “That would be strange.”
I wrap my fingers around her wrist and tug her to a stop. “I like you for the person you are,” I say, completely serious. “Not for your age.”
“Some people wouldn’t agree.”
“Some people are assholes, so…” I shrug.
“I really hope you don’t use that vocabulary around kids, Mr. McLannister.” She tries to keep a straight face, but a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth anyway.
“What if I did?” I ask, wiggling my brows playfully. “Would you punish me?”
I could totally dig her as a hot teacher. Just thinking about it makes my blood simmer under the surface.
Vanessa tugs her hand out of my grasp and places it on my chest, giving me a shove. “Be serious.” She starts to walk down the street, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Do you even know where we’re going?”
“I thought we were going to Dixie’s.”
“Of course you’d think that.” I grab her hand and pull her into the park.
Vanessa’s brows rise. “Is there another ice cream shop I don’t know about?”
“Wait and see.”
We make our way through the park that’s filled with people—couples walking hand in hand, parents sitting on the benches and watching kids playing, teenagers riding bikes, or just sitting on the grass and hanging out.
When we get to the other side of the park, I duck into one of the side streets and enter a small shop.
“Well, look who finally got here!”
The woman slips from behind the counter and comes to me, wrapping her arms around my middle. Letting go of Vanessa’s hand, I return her hug, pressing a kiss on top of her head.
“Hey, Mama Lou.”
She pulls back and slaps me over the head. “Don’t you, hey me, young man! I haven’t seen you in weeks. Not since graduation.”
I rub the back of my neck. “Sorry about that. I took a road trip with the guys, and then when we got back, I started my job and volunteering at the basketball summer camp in the community center.”
“Don’t go giving me excuses. You could have stopped by for a few minutes.”
“I’m here now, aren’t I?” I look over my shoulder at Vanessa. “And I brought company.”
